Vikings fans in BF Parañaque, rejoice! The largest buffet restaurant in the Philippines has opened its seventh branch last January 24, 2015, Friday in SM City BF Parañaque. As soon as I received and read the invitation, I felt excited to embrace yet another Vikings experience as if it were my first. 🙂

Vikings Luxury Buffet is the kind of buffet restaurant you walk into and immediately know you’re in a place where good things happen. Each branch has a different environment that somewhat tells a different story apart from the other. Just like Vikings in SM Jazz Residences, Makati which I’ve visited not too long ago, Vikings SM BF is likewise a foodie destination that has touched my heart, and of course, my stomach! 😛

With Ms. Raquel, Vikings Marketing Manager, and my parents

Review of Vikings Luxury Buffet SMBF (SM City, BF Homes, Parañaque)

Ambiance: ★★★★★

Designed with earthy tones all throughout, Vikings SM BF is a great place to fetch some serenity while indulging with a huge variety of delicious food. A cozy space with about 350-400 seats, Vikings’ atmosphere is surrounded with woodwork and plants, enough to make guests feel like they’re in an enchanted modern forest.

The natural surfaces and sweeping lines are mostly composed of green and brown palette, speaking to the structure of trees, reminiscent of nature and all its beauty.

Not to be missed are the elegant chandeliers which came draping from the high-vault ceilings. I was most enamored with the one by the reception area. It looked like it was made with diamonds, ice, or crystal constellations.

The decors certainly brought energy that lit up in bright colors. Fish accents on the wall in the function room especially gave the impression of a fun, dynamic, and harmonious effect.

Service: ★★★★★

The level of Vikings’ service was really up there with the staff being super attentive to customers’ requests and needs. Everyone was nice, helpful, and friendly.

Have someone in your table who celebrates his/her birthday? They will happily play and sing a mash-up Happy Birthday song to serenade the celebrant. 🙂

Being on the constant lookout for something spectacular and food renditions that scream wow, I stayed away from the regular favorites (Japanese and Chinese food) this time. The goal was to give myself the chance to taste those I haven’t given much attention in my previous Vikings encounters and discover new preferences.

For appetizers, I filled my plate with the international salads, bread, and cold cuts before proceeding to attack the mains. Highlights for me included Roasted Beef Steak Tagalog, Davao de Humba, Baked Chicken Caldereta, Beer Batter Fish Escabeche, Pinakbet Con Hipon, Black Palabok, and Green Chicken. The flavors were all BOLD and SAVORY to say the least.

On the Mediterranean counter, recommended dishes are Pescado con Salsa Verde, Pollo con Champignon, Callos, and the very special Valenciana Paella. In the Meat section, you will not go wrong with the US Beef Entrecôte, Spit-Her Leg of Lamb, Baked Cajun Turkey, Whole Barbeque Chicken Jamaican Jerky, and Belly-Chon. The moist, tender, and hearty meat can be delicately paired with your sauce or gravy of choice: Mint Jelly, Mustard, or Sea Salt with Rosemary.

Drinks and desserts available were no different from those in other Vikings branches. We quenched our thirst with chilled juices and neutralized food tastes with Twinings Tea. Finally, we tried to conserve space in our tummy to accommodate one tiny slice each of the beautifully plated cakes and other treats that drew wows. The avocado ice cream was well-received by many guests. It’s the perfect closure to our meal as well.

Appetizers

Chinese

Japanese

Grilled Meat and Seafood

Meat and Poultry Carving

Mediterranean

Drinks

Desserts

Price for Value: ★★★★☆

For the price conscious, eating in Vikings may not always sound like a good deal. However, considering the big sumptuous buffet spread consisting of food that’s cooked in high standards and presented in great quality, price for value is actually fair.

At Vikings SM BF in Parañaque, it’s all about enjoying a simplified culinary tour across the globe. This is definitely a pleasant joint to celebrate a momentous occasion and spend quality time with families and friends. So despite the growing competition from numerous other buffet places in Metro Manila, Vikings Luxury Buffet still reigns as number one in my book.

Hi Jeng! Parang it has been a while since we last saw each other. 😛 Vikings is a restaurant that’s reliable and good, always serving top quality food at reasonable prices. Another area where it excels in is the interior design. What elegance!

Wow, 350-400 people sounds huge! the only buffets that big I have been to are in Las Vegas. Excellent that both the food and service was so good! All of the pictures of the food look so delicious, it is making it difficult for me to decide what I will make for lunch. Wish I could just hit up Viking buffet and have it all!

Yeah when you’re there for the first time, you will especially feel more pressured. 😛 I must say that Vikings serve the best of what they have, and frankly, one cannot have too much space of a stomach. When the thing is good but limited, a few makes it more valuable. Hit it up some time.

WOW, the number of choices in this buffet is staggering! I wish we have this in our town, sadly we have very limited buffet places (mostly in hotels and very very repetitive) so i am extremely underwhelmed when i am asked for a meal in local buffet places. Love the ambience of the place as well! And your dad’s so cute! I wonder if my dad would ever let me put such a funny hat on him… (then again he probably would coz i’m daddy’s little girl hahaha)

Haha yes, my dad is just game anytime and it’s clear that he enjoyed our meal even when all he had were food safe for vegetarians. Well, that’s actually the good news. With Vikings serving lots of kinds of food on every counter, there are veg-friendly items for the non-meat eaters. 🙂

I don’t think I have ever been to a luxury buffet. However, this one sounds amazing. If I was in the area I would definitely have to check it out. When I take the kids out I usually take them to a buffet.

For kids, I recommend the “Create Your Own Pasta.” Vikings offers creamy and tasty pasta sauces that can particularly satisfy the kids’ taste buds. Another counter which they will most probably enjoy is the desserts section. Plenty of good finds! 🙂

It seems like you are touring all the Viking Restaurants in Metro Manila. It’s nice that they are adding some branches. I still haven’t tried the one in Jazz Residences in Jupiter which is a few minutes walk from our office. Maybe given your knowledge of Vikings, you should give me a tour of the one in Jupiter. =>

Haha you can walk in there anytime with your officemates. Vikings in SM Jazz Residences is by far still my favorite because it’s relatively nearest to my area (aside from MOA branch) and it has got the most beautiful interior design. Like wow talaga! 😛

I was a bit hungry before reading this post and now I am STARVING!!! And the eggs and toast I had planned to eat somehow don’t seem so appealing anymore. 🙂 What a beautiful restaurant and the food looks out of this world!

The singing staff is one of the things you would want to catch when you’re in Vikings. Their performances are simple but really entertaining. The plus point about Vikings is that it’s a very cozy restaurant and not teeming with boisterous diners although the restaurant was pretty busy on the day we were there.

oh wow i am so jealous of the food, I want to eat all of it. The decor is just unbelievable I feel like I want to move to the Philippines so I can come eat at the vikings daily. Great and thorough review.

That restaurant looks amazing – and on top of that you get a cool hat too! I would definitely eat there. The whole area looks so fresh and inviting – I love open restaurants, the space always makes me feel happy.

Well, they just had this fun promotion on its opening day. Those who go in clad with a Viking’s costume will get 50% discount! So a lot of people came prepared and made their own sword, badge, vest, hat, etc. to be granted the offer. Vikings also held a photo contest where the best in costume would win free lunch buffets for two. 🙂

Haha thanks for the compliment, Donna! So many people looked at me from head to toe that day when I was in Vikings and even when I went around the mall for some window-shopping moment. 😛 I appreciated them all.

The food choices are really overwhelming! But you could check all the food first to decide on what you’d like to get that shouldn’t be missed. In this way, you would surely be able to eat your favorites before getting full.

Wow, that looks like one heck of an appetizing buffet! Great representation of both the restaurant and the spread of food. I have to say, that’s a buffet done right.

The buffets where I live are generally more ethnically-focused, and not too appealing to me. (That, plus I generally can’t reap the benefits at a buffet since there’s more to try than I can comfortably eat.) 😉 But this.. this is a buffet place that I’d like to try. 😀

I agree! All their food are delicious and high-quality that makes the price very affordable. Whether you like Asian, Mediterranean, or Western cuisine, there will surely be something out there for you to suit your taste. Hope you could visit here soon! 🙂

I absolutely love a good buffet, and the overall ambiance of the restaurant looks pretty cool and inviting. Oh wow, that boat/canoe holding all of the sushi looks like a winner. Love their presentation! It looks like they really take pride in providing customers with an awesome experience.

Vikings looks awesome! We have a place *similar* to this, called The Mandarin, but it’s not quite as diverse.
Gah, every time I stop by this blog I’m always made hungry!! 😛
I love when you do food reviews, even though I can’t visit any of the restaurants you mention because I’m located in Canada. You write beautifully- is English your primary language, if you don’t mind me asking? If not, I’m genuinely in awe of how well you have mastered it. I truly do love this blog- every time I stop by, the photography is impeccable, the writing is beautiful and things are written about honestly.
You’ve done a great job and continue to do so….from one blogger to another 🙂

Thanks, Alysia! 🙂 I’m happy to receive such a kind comment from you! I’ll check out reviews of The Mandarin as well. It sounds interesting to view what it offers.

To answer your question, no, English is not my primary language. Actually, I think it’s either Hokkien, Cantonese, Mandarin, or Filipino. 🙂 I’m Chinese living in the Philippines. We just studied English in school and learned how to compose entries. Now, we also use English in the corporate setting. I’m not a master of the language, but I believe I’m quite fluent at it. 😀

I’ve always wanted to eat a viking related restaurant, I thought they would be so cool. Because when you think viking you think of large portions of food, esp meat products. But wow do they have a lot of choices on the food side, I would not know where to start.

Yup! There’s a huge variety of food choices here so what we sometime do is to check all the food first before getting them to our plates. This allows us to eat all our top choices first before we get full. 😛

While you’re there, you’d want to just get the most of out the experience. Dining in this buffet restaurant isn’t just about eating all that you can. For me, it’s more about quenching your thirst for those food you have been wanting to try for the longest time and then eating those you thought could best make the price worth. 🙂

It is good that the largest buffet chains has alot more branches buuuutt, the one near me has still long queue (SM Jazz)! Haha! I thought finally we will be able to try it since I don’t like waiting yun pala hindi pa rin. Maybe, on my birthday na lang.

I didn’t know that Vikings are that affordable. I mean, having 4 kids, it’s hard to choose which buffet restaurant is sulit with us. I can’t imagine myself paying full for my two youngest, they can’t even finish a whole cup of rice.. Same price at Megamall ba?

This design is spectacular! You certainly know how to keep a reader entertained.
Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Wonderful job.
I really loved what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it.

Food and Lifestyle Blogger in Manila

Roch Santos-Sioco is behind the blog Rochkirstin | com. Based in Manila, Philippines, she's a digital marketing strategist by day (and sometimes by night, let's get real) and a blogger with a large appetite for food & travel. She always aims to create content that's meaningful and enjoyable, whether it's a full-length blog post or a 140-character tweet.

When not blogging or eating, you can find her thinking about innovative technologies, planning out where to eat or travel next, or looking up on trends about health, pets, and wine. :)

Get in touch with her through rochkirstin@yahoo.com or view the About page to know more.